Sunday, January 16, 2005

Bush Reneges on Promise to Ban Gay Marriage

For conservative evangelical Christians who voted for Bush because he famously and frequently promised to initiate a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.....this excerpt from the Washington Post today, from "Bush Says Election Ratified Iraq Policy" by Jim VandeHei and Michael A Fletcher:

"In a wide-ranging, 35-minute interview aboard Air Force One on Friday, Bush laid out new details of his second-term plans for both foreign and domestic policy. For the first time, Bush said he will not press senators to pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the top priority for many social conservative groups...

On the domestic front, Bush said he would not lobby the Senate to pass a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.

While seeking reelection, Bush voiced strong support for such a ban, and many political analysts credit this position for inspiring record turnout among evangelical Christians, who are fighting same-sex marriage at every juncture. Groups such as the Family Research Council have made the marriage amendment their top priority for the next four years.

The president said there is no reason to press for the amendment because so many senators are convinced that the Defense of Marriage Act -- which says states that outlaw same-sex unions do not have to recognize such marriages conducted outside their borders -- is sufficient....Bush's position is likely to infuriate some of his socially conservative supporters... "Some? Try all. Yes, indeed. They'll be quite infuriated, and feeling more than a bit exploited and deceived, too. Especially James Dobson, who literally threatened to take down George Bush and the Republican Party if Bush didn't enact his campaign rhetoric to appoint pro-life judges and press hard for an amendment banning gay marriage. By the way, Bush says this is why evangelical Christians voted to reelect him...."President Bush said the public's decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath. 'We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections," Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. "The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and chose me'.... "Huh? The evangelicals I know who voted to reelect George Bush did so in spite of the Iraq War debacle, certainly not because of it.

Per Yahoo news this evening.....

"Bush voiced active support for a gay marriage ban during the 2004 presidential campaign, whipping up support from social conservatives including Evangelical Christians who turned out in droves to re-elect him.

Immediately after his election victory his top political strategist said the president would 'absolutely' continue his fight on the politically and socially divisive issue.

'Without the protection of that amendment, we are at the mercy of activist federal judges or activist state judges who could, without the involvement of the people, determine ... that marriage no longer consists of a union between a man and a woman,' Karl Rove told Fox News. "